The Human Rights Writers Association of Nigeria (HURIWA) has cautioned the Presidency against dismissing the honest economic critique offered by Dr. Akinwumi Adesina, President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), describing the official response as petty, misleading, and out of touch with the harsh realities millions of Nigerians currently endure.
HURIWA said President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration appears to be living in denial over the deepening poverty ravaging the country, warning that politicising legitimate economic concerns is a dangerous path.
“The truth is painful, but it must be acknowledged,” HURIWA stated. “Nigerians today are choking, starving, and dying from poverty-induced hardships. Rather than reflect on this, the presidency chose to attack one of the most respected economists of Nigerian descent.”
Dr. Adesina, in a keynote at the 20th anniversary of Chapel Hill Denham, revealed that Nigeria’s GDP per capita has dropped from $1,847 in 1960 to just $824 in 2024, arguing that Nigerians are worse off now than at independence. He called for urgent reforms to transform Nigeria into a globally competitive economy by 2050.
In response, Presidential spokesperson Bayo Onanuga disputed the figures, alleging that Adesina relied on inaccurate data and offered a narrow view of Nigeria’s economic evolution. Onanuga argued that Nigeria’s GDP per capita in 1960 was only $93 and not $1,847.
HURIWA rejected Onanuga’s rebuttal as politically motivated and intellectually dishonest.
“Instead of misrepresenting history with questionable statistics, the Presidency should pay attention to the World Bank’s recent April 2025 Poverty and Equity Brief, which confirms the AfDB President’s claims,” the group said.
The World Bank report highlighted that 75.5% of rural Nigerians live below the poverty line, 41.3% of urban Nigerians are also living in poverty and Poverty is spatially unequal, with the North experiencing a 46.5% poverty rate compared to 13.5% in the South
It added that, Structural weaknesses, over-reliance on oil, and insecurity are fueling this decline
HURIWA also noted that Nigeria’s currency once outperformed the dollar and pound sterling in the 1960s, but is now among the weakest globally — worsened by policy choices under President Tinubu, including the aggressive devaluation of the naira.
“Public infrastructure in the 1960s — schools, hospitals, roads — were better maintained. Citizens received scholarships, and employment opportunities were abundant. Today, banditry, terrorism, and mass unemployment have become defining features of life in Nigeria,” HURIWA said.
The group said it is baffled that rather than acknowledge these well-documented declines, the Presidency has chosen to attack the messenger.
“Dr. Adesina spoke truth to power — as any patriot would. It is disappointing that the response from the government is one of arrogance and denial,” HURIWA stated. “We urge President Tinubu to focus on solutions, not spin.”
Emmanuel Onwubiko
